Cleveland Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett revealed he was "annoying as hell" as he tried to learn as much as he could from Tom Brady while the pair were on the New England Patriots.
Brady is one of the greatest sportspeople in North American sports history as he competes in his 23rd NFL season. The seven-time Super Bowl champion owns a host of NFL records and was the centrepiece of the Patriots dynasty alongside head coach Bill Belichick.
During his career, many quarterbacks have linked up with Brady as a teammate only to move on, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star holding onto his starting role. However, many have tried to soak up as much as they could while they spent time with the GOAT.
After he was drafted by the Patriots in 2016, Brissett was under no illusions. The rookie out of North Carolina State understood his role was to back Brady up rather than usurp him as the Patriots’ starter.
Brissett admitted he was a huge fan of Brady when he became his teammate and peer and wanted to imbibe as much as he could. Speaking ahead of his clash with Brady and the Buccaneers, Brissett said: “I was that kid that was annoying as hell and kind of just, wherever he went I tried to follow, the places that I could go, and just trying to get as much information.”
At the time, Brady was a four-time Super Bowl champion and had just led the Patriots to a dramatic title win 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. Brissett tried to learn from Brady’s example and would have done well to do so - the Bucs quarterback won three more titles in the following five seasons.
When asked about what most impressed him about Brady, Brissett insisted his mentor’s attitude was the most remarkable aspect given he was still humble and hungry even after all his success. Brissett added: “Because everybody looks at him as Tom Brady and he doesn’t think he is Tom Brady, I would say.”
Brissett was a member of the Patriots team that won Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017, which is considered one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. He played some time as a rookie to make up for an injured Brady during the regular season, and it earned Brissett a move to the Indianapolis Colts for the 2017 season.
Brissett played in Indiana for four seasons before returning to the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins, sharing time with sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who struggled with injury troubles. He signed with the Browns ahead of the 2022 season.
Unfortunately, the match against Brady’s 5-5 Buccaneers will likely be Brissett’s final start for Cleveland after leading them to a 3-7 record, as Deshaun Watson is set to return from his 11-game suspension next week. Watson signed a fully-guaranteed five-year contract worth $230million (£190m) earlier this year.
